Press Release

10/25/2010 3:42 PM ET

Major League Baseball players recognize top comeback performances in each league

Braves' Hudson & Rangers' Guerrero honored by peers

MLBPA Press Release

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Perseverance and dedication took center stage today as Major League Baseball players named Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tim Hudson and Texas Rangers designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero this season's top comeback players. Today, the Major League Baseball Players Association and ESPN Radio's Scott Van Pelt announced the winners of the 2010 Players Choice Awards for each league's comeback player during the first of a series of daily broadcast segments highlighting the on-field performances and community leadership of Major League players. The 2010 Players Choice Awards winners are being announced exclusively this week on ESPN Radio and are presented by Majestic Athletic and 2K Sports and benefit the Major League Baseball Players Trust. [See complete Awards broadcast schedule below.]

Hudson underwent Tommy John surgery on Aug. 8, 2008, and missed all but the final month of the 2009 season. After finishing 2-1 in seven starts in 2009, Hudson picked up where he left off by finishing with a record of 17-9 in 2010 -- helping guide the Braves to the National League Wild Card. His 34 starts in 2010 tied for second among all NL hurlers, and he finished tied for fourth in the NL in wins and was sixth in ERA. This is Hudson's first Players Choice Award.

Guerrero helped propel the Texas Rangers to the 2010 American League West Division championship by batting .300 with 29 homers (tied for ninth in AL), 178 hits, 27 doubles and 115 RBI (fourth in AL/sixth in MLB). After appearing in 100 games for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009, Guerrero appeared in 152 games for the Rangers this past season, and his 29 homers were the most he's hit in a single season since belting 33 in 2006. This is Guerrero's first Players Choice Award.

The Players Choice Awards annually honor the outstanding player, rookie, pitcher and comeback player in each league, while the Player of the Year and Man of the Year awards bestow top honors without regard to league. Balloting for the Players Choice Awards was conducted in September under the supervision of accounting firm KPMG.

2010 Players Choice Award winners in all categories will designate charities to receive grants totaling $260,000 from the Major League Baseball Players Trust, the charitable foundation created and run by the players themselves. The Players Trust raises funds and attention for issues affecting the needy and promotes community involvement. Since 1992, the Players Trust has recognized the outstanding on-field and off-field performances of Players Choice Awards winners by contributing $3 million to charities around the world. For additional information, please visit www.MLBPLAYERS.com or visit the Players Trust channel on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/MLBPlayersTrust.

Below please find the complete list of 2010 Players Choice Awards finalists as well as the ESPN Radio broadcast schedule for the awards announcements. Go to www.ESPNRadio.com to find an ESPN Radio station near you or to listen live.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (www.MLBPLAYERS.com) is the collective bargaining representative for all professional baseball players of the 30 Major League Baseball teams and serves as the exclusive group licensing agent for commercial and licensing activities involving active Major League Baseball players. On behalf of its members, it operates the Players Choice licensing program and Players Choice Awards, which benefit the needy through the Major League Baseball Players Trust, a charitable foundation established and run entirely by Major League baseball players.

About Majestic Athletic
Majestic Athletic is a subsidiary of VF Imagewear. Majestic designs, markets and manufactures athletic team uniforms, performance apparel, outerwear and licensed athletic wear. The company is licensed by the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball. Majestic currently holds on-field uniform rights for all 30 Major League Baseball clubs.